The Ocean

What is an ocean?
An ocean is a large body of salt-water that covers the Earth. 71 percent of the Earth is covered by the ocean. In this article, we will be discussing the oceans as an environment.

How many oceans are there?
There are four oceans that cover most of the world.

• The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean. It is between the North America, South America, Europe, and Africa.
• The Indian Ocean exists between Asia, Africa and Australia. It is the third largest ocean in the world.
• The Arctic ocean, the smallest ocean. It is the body of water that surrounds the Arctic.
• The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. It is what exists between North America, South America, and Asia.

What lives in the ocean?
With the oceans being a large environment that can be found pretty much everywhere, lots of different animals live in it. In water, hundreds of different kinds of fishes live in it. Some of these fishes are salmon, tuna, angel fish, lion fish, and lots more! Other than fish, lots of other kinds of animals live in the ocean; mollusks like octopi, squids, and snails; reptiles like sea turtles and sea snakes; mammals like manatees, walruses, seals, and sea lions.

What habitats are there in the ocean?
Since there are many organisms that live in the ocean, there are also many different habitats. Lots of different species of marine life live in a coral reef; an ecosystem where the animals live through interactions with the coral. Some kinds of fish, like certain kinds of clown fish, live on sea anemone. There are also animals that live at the bottom of the ocean. Some of those animals create their own light through bioluminescence.

How do meat-eaters hunt their food?
Sometimes, those animals hunt for food using clever methods. Sometimes, bottlenose dolphins hunt tuna by swimming around them, causing them to swarm and making them easier to catch. Humpback whales hunt their food by using bubbles as nets to capture their food, then they use their teeth to filter out the water and eat the small crustaceans that it catches; such as krill. Angler fish create light using their bodies, this is called bioluminescence, and use that light to lure fish close to their mouths. Yeti crabs use hair-like setae to grow bacteria on its claws. Cape gannets, a kind of sea bird, dive into the water from high altitudes and high speeds to hunt groups of salmon.